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Judge Rules Gray Wolves Be Returned to Federal Protection

A federal judge in Montana has ruled that gray wolves in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming be returned to federal protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Judge Donald Molloy of Montana ruled Friday the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner when it removed wolves in the Northern Rockies Region from the endangered species list in March.

He agreed with arguments made by environmental and animal rights groups that wolf populations in Yellowstone National Park do not yet interbreed with wolves in Idaho and western Montana to an extent that ensures genetic diversity. He also ruled the agency approved Wyoming's state wolf management plan last year despite previously saying the basic tenants of that plan that allow wolves to be killed without regulation in 90 percent of the state, was inadequate to protect wolves. Lastly, Molloy ruled the groups proved that wolves were likely to be harmed by public hunting seasons planned in each state this fall.

Molloy granted a preliminary injunction reversing the delisting of wolves while the entire case is being heard and also said the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in a majority of their claims.

The ruling is a set back for the Fish and Wildlife Service that has said wolves are biologically recovered and decided earlier this year that adequate state regulations were in place to keep the wolves from becoming imperilled. There are estimated to be about 2,000 wolves in the three states and about 800 in Idaho.

With all due respect, I don't believe our human species was put on this earth to steward anything or anybody. We evolved and came into being as everything and everyone else did over the billions of years that preceded our appearance - geologically speaking, a few seconds ago. The earth and the myriad species that inhabit our planet never needed stewards before, and if they do need stewardship now, it is because we, as a species, have distanced ourselves from the natural world, the dire consequences of which we are now experiencing. What the free-living animals need is our respect, and the freedom to live their lives as we would wish to live ours, free of domination and exploitation.

I don't blame the Fish and Wildlife Services, they just want to keep their jobs and their income. I blame Bush and Kempthorne. Bush has consistently ignored the wishes of the majority of the citizens of the United States in favor of Big Oil and Big Business. He has ignored his responsibilities to the public trust. We, the citizens who mistakenly put a reformed drunk in the White House mean absolutely nothing to him. The voting debacle in Florida when his brother was governor is an excellent example of collusion and filthy and sneaky politics.
As for Dirk Kempthorne, Bush's choice for Secretary of the Interior when it got too hot and rough for Gale Norton, who was an absolute disaster as Secretary of the Interior... Kempthorne is an avid wolf hater and killer. Look at his "record" while he was governor. Given the chance, he'll be worse than Gale Norton ever thought of being.
Bush is a lame duck and on his way out, but, I promise you he will destroy anything he can as he goes. So will his cabinet.
After all, they've already killed off more than 4,000 of our finest young men and women.
Keep a very close eye, folks, on what your elected representatives in Congress and the Senate are doing. Call, fax, write, visit and e-mail them about all the issues that are near and dear to you. make them understand that they are on the firing line too and will be removed from their cushy offices if they do not do as you wish.
Any citizen has the right to start a motion for recall for one or more of their elected representatives.
Please note that e-mails are great, they are fast, convenient and easy for us, the general public. They are also very easy for politicians to ignore.
What they cannot ignore are written letters and phone calls, faxes and visits by their constituants to their local offices. That counts!!
In the meantime, Thank God for folks like Federal Judge Donald Molloy of Montana who have the guts to say "NO! I won't allow this." Write Judge Molloy a quick "Thank You," it'll mean a lot to him and strengthen his resolve for the fighting of the next round for the wolves.
Thanks folks for listening to me up on the soap-box!

Hurray, any victory for the animals that we're put here to steward is sweet. Sometimes it's a long and difficult process to "win" at a fight such as this. I applaud the judge and hope that mankind remembers that the animals were here before us and by virtue of that alone, we should be looking out for them MUCH better than we have.